Forrest Tucker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Forrest Meredith Tucker (February 12, 1919 – October 25, 1986) was an American actor in both movies and television who appeared in nearly a hundred films.
Tucker described himself as a farm boy. He was born in Plainfield, Indiana, on February 12, 1919, a son of Forrest A. Tucker and his wife, Doris Heringlake. His mother has been described as an alcoholic. Tucker began his performing career at age 14 at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, pushing the big wicker tourist chairs by day and singing "Throw Money" at night. After his family moved to Washington, D.C., Tucker attracted the attention of Jimmy Lake, the owner of the Old Gaiety Burlesque Theater, by winning its Saturday night amateur contest on consecutive weeks. After his second win, Tucker was hired there at full time as Master of Ceremonies, but left when it was soon discovered that he was underage. He graduated from Washington-Lee High School, Arlington, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., in 1938, and, joining the United States Cavalry, was stationed at Fort Myer in Arlington County, Virginia, but discharged for, once again, being underage. He returned to work at the Old Gaiety after his 18th birthday.
When Lake's theatre closed for the summer in 1939, Tucker was helped by a wealthy mentor to travel to California and try to break into film acting. He made a successful screen test, and began auditioning for movie roles. In his own estimation, Tucker was in the mold of large "ugly guys" such as Wallace Beery, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen, rather than a matinee idol. His debut was as a powerfully built farmer who clashes with the hero in The Westerner (1940), which starred Gary Cooper.
Like many other movie actors at the time, Tucker enlisted in the United States Army during World War II; he earned a commission as a second lieutenant.
Tucker married four times:
Sandra Jolley (1919–1986) in 1940, divorced in 1950, daughter of the character actor I. Stanford Jolley (who also died of emphysema) and the sister of the Academy Award-winning art director Stan Jolley. They had a daughter, Pamela "Brooke" Tucker.
Marilyn Johnson on March 28, 1950 (died on July 19, 1960).
Marilyn Fisk on October 23, 1961. They had a daughter, Cindy Tucker, and son, Forrest Sean Tucker.
Sheila Forbes on April 15, 1986.
Tucker, who had battled lung cancer for more than a year, as well as having a series of minor illnesses, collapsed and was hospitalized, for the second time in a week, on his way to the ceremony for his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 21, 1986. He died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital on October 25, 1986, a few months after the theatrical release of Thunder Run and Outtakes. He was interred in Forest Lawn–Hollywood Hills Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills. CLR
Photos
Movies (93)
La Classe américaine
1993 · The Fax Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
Outtakes
1987 · Himself
Timestalkers
1987 · Texas John Cody
Thunder Run
1985 · Charlie Morrison
A Rare Breed
1984
Ringstealer
1984 · Narrator
Blood Feud
1983 · Lyndon B. Johnson
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1981 · Duke
A Real American Hero
1978 · Carl Pusser
The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race
1977 · Mike Fink
Final Chapter: Walking Tall
1977 · Carl
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
1976 · Wagonmaster Callahan
The Wild McCullochs
1975 · J. J. McCulloch
Jarrett
1973 · Rev. Vocal Simpson
Footsteps
1972 · Bradford Emmons
Cancel My Reservation
1972 · Reese
Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol
1972 · Harry McMartin
Cat Ballou
1971 · Kid Sheleen
Barquero
1970 · Mountain Phil
Chisum
1970 · Lawrence Murphy
Doc
1969 · Dr. Jason Fillmore
The Night They Raided Minsky's
1968 · Trim Houlihan
A Boy Called Nuthin’
1967 · Turkeyneck
Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title
1966 · Romantic Diner Customer (uncredited)
Counterplot
1959 · Brock Miller
Gunsmoke in Tucson
1958 · John Brazos
Auntie Mame
1958 · Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
The Trollenberg Terror
1958 · Alan Brooks
Girl in the Woods
1958 · Steve Cory
Fort Massacre
1958 · McGurney
The Strange World of Planet X
1958 · Gil Graham
The Deerslayer
1957 · Harry March
The Abominable Snowman
1957 · Tom Friend
The Quiet Gun
1957 · Sheriff Carl Brandon
Stagecoach to Fury
1956 · Frank Townsend
Three Violent People
1956 · Deputy Commissioner Cable
Paris Follies of 1956
1955 · Dan Bradley
The Vanishing American
1955 · Morgan
Night Freight
1955 · Mike Peters
Finger Man
1955 · Dutch Becker
Rage at Dawn
1955 · Frank Reno
Break in the Circle
1955 · Baron Keller
Trouble in the Glen
1954 · Maj. Jim 'Lance' Lansing
Jubilee Trail
1954 · John Ives
The Big Moment
1954 · Uri
Flight Nurse
1953 · Capt. Bill Eaton
Laughing Anne
1953 · Jem Farrell
Pony Express
1953 · James Butler aka Wild Bill Hickok
San Antone
1953 · Lt. Brian Culver, CSA
Ride the Man Down
1952 · Sam Danfelser
Montana Belle
1952 · Mac
Hurricane Smith
1952 · Dan McGuire
Hoodlum Empire
1952 · Charles A. 'Charley' Pignatalli
Bugles in the Afternoon
1952 · Donavan
Flaming Feather
1952 · Lt. Tom Blaine
The Wild Blue Yonder
1951 · Maj. Tom West
Warpath
1951 · Sgt. O'Hara
Crosswinds
1951 · 'Jumbo' Johnson
Fighting Coast Guard
1951 · Bill Rourk
Oh! Susanna
1951 · Lt. Col. Unger
California Passage
1950 · Mike Prescott
Rock Island Trail
1950 · Reed Loomis
The Nevadan
1950 · Tom Tanner
Sands of Iwo Jima
1950 · PFC Al J. Thomas
Brimstone
1949 · Sheriff Henry McIntyre
Hellfire
1949 · Marshall Bucky McLean
The Big Cat
1949 · Gil Hawks
The Last Bandit
1949 · Jim Plummer
The Plunderers
1948 · Whit Lacey
Two Guys from Texas
1948 · 'Tex' Bennett
Coroner Creek
1948 · Ernie Combs
Adventures in Silverado
1948 · Zeke Butler
Gunfighters
1947 · Ben Orcutt
The Yearling
1946 · Lem Forrester
Never Say Goodbye
1946 · Fenwick Lonkowski
Dangerous Business
1946 · Clayton Russell
Renegades
1946 · Frank Dembrow
The Man Who Dared
1946 · Larry James
Talk About a Lady
1946 · Bart Manners
Keeper of the Flame
1943 · Geoff Midford
Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood
1942 · Whipper
The Spirit of Stanford
1942 · Buzz Costello (uncredited)
My Sister Eileen
1942 · Sandhog (uncredited)
Counter-Espionage
1942 · Anton Schugg
Parachute Nurse
1942 · Lt. Tucker
Submarine Raider
1942 · Pulaski
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp!
1942 · Blond Bomber
Canal Zone
1942 · Recruit Madigan
Shut My Big Mouth
1942 · Red
Honolulu Lu
1941 · Barney
New Wine
1941 · Moritz
Emergency Landing
1941 · Jerry Barton
The Westerner
1940 · Wade Harper
TV shows (46)
The World of Hammer
1994 · Self (archive footage)
Murder, She Wrote
1984 · Tom Cassidy
Matt Houston
1982 · Buck Turley
Filthy Rich
1982
Flo
1980
The Rebels
1979 · Angus Fletcher
Fantasy Island
1978 · Jake Gordon
The Love Boat
1977 · Sam Zachary, Tex, Tom Preston
Grizzly Adams
1977 · Ernie
Once an Eagle
1976 · Col. Avery
Alice
1976
The Bionic Woman
1976
Ellery Queen
1975 · Clint McGraw
The Ghost Busters
1975
S.W.A.T.
1975
Police Woman
1974 · O'Malley
Little House on the Prairie
1974 · Jim Tyler
Kojak
1973 · Det. Paul Zachary
Dusty's Trail
1973 · Wagonmaster Callahan
Columbo
1971 · Bo Williamson
Alias Smith and Jones
1971 · Deputy Harker Wilkins
Night Gallery
1970 · Dr. Ernest Stringfellow
Love, American Style
1969 · John, Horton
Medical Center
1969 · Ollie Wayne
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1968 · Self (uncredited)
Hondo
1967
Ironside
1967
F Troop
1965 · Sergeant. Morgan O'Rourke
Daniel Boone
1964 · Joe Snag
Burke's Law
1963 · Cyrus Smuts
Channing
1963 · Major Don Landon
The Merv Griffin Show
1962 · Self
The Virginian
1962 · Martin Evers
The Mike Douglas Show
1961 · Self
Dr. Kildare
1961 · Max Beemis
Bonanza
1959 · Frank Ryan
Rawhide
1959 · Dan Carlock
Wagon Train
1957 · Rex Montana
Gunsmoke
1955 · Brad McClain, Adam Benteen, John Charron, Sergeant Holly, Sgt. Emmett Holly, Will Donavan
Climax!
1954 · Chips Murphy
General Electric Theater
1953 · Frank Marlowe
The Ford Television Theatre
1952 · Red Healey
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951 · Steve MacGregor
Lux Video Theatre
1950 · William Patterson, Ken
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950 · Bob Slater
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948 · Self